Knife fight
by Apprentice08
Summary: -oneshot-! Slade is attempting to teach his apprentice something new. Robin at first refuses, but then has a small choice to make. Pull the knife out of Slade... or leave it in.


**A/n: I am sorry I keep coming up with random short stories. Don't hate me. R&R**

_I'm going to get him tonight. I am going to un-mask him, he will fall at my feet. He won't get away this time. _

He jumped from a window in the warehouse onto the back of the man he despised so much; they fell and tumbled off the cement into the water of the bay. The water was rocky and shallow; robin knew he was going to be in a lot of pain tomorrow morning; that is if he survived till tomorrow.

_Oh you will survive, you have to, and tonight is the night you take him down._

Robin looked around but could not see the bigger man anywhere, then arms wrapped around his waist and from behind Robin Slade shot out of the water throwing Robin into a much deeper darker part of the bay.

"Well Robin, you being a little more violent then I expected, still a little angry about the whole apprentice thing I take it?"

"It doesn't matter how you make me dress Slade, I will never be your apprentice!" Robin said.

"On the contrary, you've been my apprentice for the last month and a half, your friends are still clueless about the probes and your training is coming along very swiftly. A few more nights of us running out and about the city and I may just let you go on your first mission."

"I don't run missions for you or for anyone else! I don't steal or lie or cheat… that's what makes us so different."

"That's a very big mistake Robin, the only difference between us is…" Slade crouched slightly in the water and then jolted up and did a back flip onto the dock, "You haven't had the pleasure of killing anyone yet."

Robin growled and swam for the dock, he crawled out and noticed Slade was waiting patiently. "Who taught you to stand like that?" Robin asked noticing the very common hands-behind-his-back stance Slade was doing.

"I wouldn't worry so much about my posture as apposed to what I am about to do next…"

Robin stood quickly and took a fighting stance, but to his shock and surprise Slade did nothing but pull a knife from his belt and toss it to Robin, it landed on the dock and slid to stop at Robin's feet. Robin looked at the knife, and then back to Slade.

"Your move." Slade said.

Robin stood motionless; it was a bowie knife, a giant gleaming blade, and a rather nice sized handle. All he had to do was pick it up and aim low, but Slade was expecting that. He wanted Robin to pick up the knife, and Robin had never actually had any experience with knife fighting.

"I can't use that." Robin said trying to sound serious, he ended up getting slight red in the face because out of all the weapons he DID know how to use, a simple knife was not one of them.

"Pick it up Robin. Now is the best time to learn."

Robin looked back to the knife; he slowly bent down and picked it up. It felt only slightly heavier then his bow staff.

"What do you want me to do with it? Stab you?" Robin asked sounding sarcastic.

"Actually, yes. Tonight's training exercise is very simple. If you stab me, you can take off my mask. Incentive enough?"

Robin stood frozen, had Slade really said that? "What?" Robin stammered.

"You heard me little bird, stab me and you will see my face."

"What's the catch?" Robin asked.

"You know me to well, first off, I can't guarantee you will be able to function once u take my mask off. And second…"

Robin leaned in close waiting, "You only have 15 minutes."

Robin's jaw opened slightly as he digested Slade's words, he didn't have much time to ponder them however since Slade charged him full on.

Robin jumped over Slade who spun around and knocked him solidly in the head. Robin went flying to the right, stumbling trying not to lose the knife and not stab himself either.

Robin switched the knife so that he held it more like a dagger and less like a sword, if he could get a good downward swing at Slade Robin could carve right into him. Instantly Robin dropped the knife and he felt like he was going to be sick. An image of Slade's blood all over him and the feeling of it all as the knife sliced through layers of bone and skin did not appeal to Robin in the slightest.

He felt his hand shaking and he knew he must look pathetic, "Robin, pick up the knife." Slade commanded.

"No way… I … I c-can't." Robin said feeling even more sick then before.

"Apprentice… pick up the knife."

"No! I can't stab you…"

"Can't stab me? Or you can't kill me? Perhaps you finally realized how important I am to you. Has the young boy wonder finally realized that all chances of escaping could possibly rely on one thing and one thing only… my death? Or perhaps Robin… you have finally come to terms with your feelings towards me. Your realize I am the father you never had and you accept me… as your master."

With those final taunting words Robin grabbed the blade and swing quickly and swiftly up under Slade's left arm. Robin felt the blade slide in right between two ribs, the sickening sound, and the smell that filled the air, the warm liquid that dribbled down the blade's handle onto his hand. Robin instantly released the blade and stumbled back. He fell onto his butt and just sat there.

Slade was on his knees, having been surprised by the force of the blow, he stayed there however, and did not move, his eye never changed and for a moment robin though him dead while he still remained up right.

But to Robin' s horror Slade started to laugh and all thoughts of death upon the man vanished from Robin's head. "H-how?" Robin asked.

"Oh you can't kill me Robin, which is very lucky, because you stabbed in the exact spot that can kill a man instantly. However, you abruptly stopped, you didn't even reach my heart. Such a pity…. Now come here apprentice."

Robin did not move and he jerked in fear when Slade yelled, "Apprentice! To me now!" though Robin hated following Slade's orders he was much to confused and dazed and scared to refuse.

Robin moved over to stand as close to Slade as he could. Slade, who was still on his knees, grabbed Robin's bloody hand and pulled it swiftly back to the knife, Robin tried to jerk away but he could not.

"No Robin, hold the knife tightly, don't back down. Don't be afraid of killing me."

Robin whimpered, he felt more warm liquid slowly oozing down his hand and he also felt the stiffness of the blade, it wouldn't budge. "Now Robin, with your free hand, reach up and remove my mask."

Robin still had his eyes locked on to his right hand, which was now being held tightly around the blade's handle by Slade's own left hand. "Robin…" Slade cooed, "Look at me." Slowly Robin looked away up to Slade, he felt his heart thudding almost out of his chest and then realized it was Slade's heart he felt beating through the blade into his own body.

"Please don't make me…"

"Reach up and remove my mask." Slade cut in. Robin slowly lifted his left hand, it shook so violently that he wasn't sure he would be able to grip Slade's mask.

But as his fingers wrapped around the edge where the mask ended Robin felt his curiosity over take him and as he pulled on the mask he almost forgot about his other hand and what it was holding.

Then Robin heard a click and watched as the mask fell from Slade's face in slow motion to the wooden dock. Before him was a man he had waited months upon months to see, and now he was simply to stunned for words. A black eye patch, white hair and a goatee to match, the most handsome man Robin had ever seemed, and even with the mask off Robin could not decide Slade's true age.

Robin stared at him, he couldn't look away, it was as if he was mystified or hypnotized. Until finally something happened, Slade spoke, and Robin saw the lips actually move. "Now you have a face to put in your nightmares."

Robin tightened his grip on the knife and tried to move it, still nothing, "Your…"

"Not what you expected…"

Robin shook his head, "Your… human…"

Slade chuckled and said, "Of course, what, you think because I refuse to die I am not human?"

"You said this stab wound was fatal to…"

"I am human, just a different kind of human. A human with enough chemicals mutating his blood he doesn't die right away. My body can heal itself if the wound is not to critical, as for not reacting to the pain… I have been through a lot, and trained very well."

Robin attempted to twist the blade and Slade grabbed the boy's hand roughly, "Not that well…" Slade said.

Robin gave a weak semi-smile that didn't last long enough to even notice, he tried to let go of the blade but Slade wouldn't let him. "Pull it out." Slade said into Robin's ear. The boy shivered and tried again to let go.

"Apprentice, you will pull out the knife, or, you will watch me die… either way you have already broken your own rules. Either you have killed a man, or you have used a weapon that is illegal in this country to stab someone. You choose."

"This knife is a hunting knife, it isn't illegal at all…"

"Trust me, it's illegal… I know all about illegal stuff kid, and this knife is very, very illegal."

Robin knew Slade would not lie about something like this, either way Robin chose he would lose and go against his code. But better to save a life then…

Robin yanked at the knife and it only semi came out. He heard Slade grunt and take hold of his hand once again, "This time apprentice, pull hard, pull quickly and don't stop…"

He tried to get a better grip on the blade and Robin for an instant thought of pushing it back in and twisting, but this was not how he wanted to see Slade go down, he wanted to see the man alive, behind bars, suffering. No, a quick and painless death was not an option. Robin quickly pulled out the blade and dropped it onto the dock, then he stood and backed away from Slade. The older man reached for his mask and clicked it back onto his face.

"Now apprentice I believe it is time to go home." Robin hung his head in shame.

Page break

"What were you thinking! You could have died! Leaving that god damn metal blade in your skin! It still has the poison on it from the last assassination!" Wintergreen bellowed.

"No need to lecture Wintergreen, I had everything under control." Slade said as he popped to pills in his mouth and drank some water.

"Just two minutes longer and that poison would have worked it's way to your heart! I can't believe you gave him THAT blade to use!"

"Wintergreen, I had everything…"

"What? Under control? Sir you showed that boy your face! You can't even say for sure if he is loyal yet! He hardly does what you say! He could escape any day now that he knows you are leaving the doors unlocked. Why in gods name are you risking everything on a boy who hates you!"

"I hated my master Wintergreen, it is only natural the boy should hate his. And as it were, I don't believe I asked for your opinion in the first place."

Wintergreen walked over and took the bloody dagger off the operating table in the med lab. "No you didn't… but I wish you would have… "

"You should have seen it Wintergreen, timid, shaking, so afraid. He felt everything, and he knew what he was doing was wrong. But he twisted the blade, he flexed it, he pulled at it all on his own, no commands from me. He is well on his way to becoming everything I want him to be."

"Timid? That young fire head of an apprentice?" Wintergreen mused.

"He seems to have a problem with death as a whole, not just morals or laws but something deeper. He will tell me in time but for now I just wish to savor this moment. He is becoming a killer, whether he wants to admit it or not."

Wintergreen shook his head and left the room carrying the bloody dagger. Slade looked at the bruise on his side where the knife had been only a half hour ago.

"Perfect." Slade said.

End

**R&R**


End file.
